Catholic Schwarzenegger to terminate religious "interference"

Published: 28 May 2007

Describing himself as a "very dedicated Catholic", California Governor
Arnold Schhwarzenegger is backing stem cell research initiatives,
saying that religion should not interfere with government policy.

The Star
reports that Governor Schwarzenegger is attempting to stare down
anti-abortion opponents of stem-cell research with a warning to leave
religion out of politics and health.

Schwarzenegger, in Toronto
to sign accords with Premier Dalton McGuinty on collaborating with
Ontario to fight cancer and curb climate change, said saving lives is
paramount.

"I always said that you should not have your religion
interfere with government policies or with the policies of the people,"
the former action film superstar turned politician told hundreds of
people at the MaRS Discovery District research centre.

"I am a
Catholic and a very dedicated Catholic, but that does not interfere
with my decision-making because I know that stem cell research, the way
we are doing it in California ... is the right way to go and will save,
very quickly down the line, lives and cure a lot of these illnesses,"
he said.

After signing a deal with McGuinty for a new joint
research initiative between California and Ontario scientists,
Schwarzenegger recounted his personal interest in the subject.

"I
have a father-in-law, Sargent Shriver, who has Alzheimer's," he said of
the 91-year-old husband of Eunice Kennedy Shriver, sister of late US
president John F Kennedy.

"Now, Sargent Shriver, I'll tell you
was one of the most brilliant minds in the world. He was working under
the Johnson administration, the Kennedy administration, started the
Peace Corps, the Jobs Corps, like I said, brilliant, brilliant," the
governor said.

"Today, he does not even recognise his wife," he
said. "Alzheimer's is a terrible disease and this is why I am so very
passionate about supporting (research)."

Abortion foes are
against stem-cell research because microscopic embryos, usually donated
by fertility clinics, are destroyed in the process.

McGuinty, a
fellow Catholic praised by Schwarzenegger for his "fantastic" support
for the research, said he understood those with religious or ethical
concerns.

"I would argue ... there's one moral imperative that
transcends all faiths, all culture and all traditions, it would be this
fundamental desire to relieve pain and suffering and death where we
find it," said the premier, who announced $30 million from the Ontario
Institute for Cancer Research will be earmarked for the Cancer Stem
Cell Consortium of researchers here and in California.

"I'm
confident we can strike the right balance between respecting people's
sensitivities and ... we have some laws in the books here in Canada
that ensure that."